The Malevolence of a Woman Wronged (PREQUEL)

Chapter 17- The Winter Ball

--Angelina POV--

Two weeks of thorough planning has led to this moment, and now that I'm finally here, I look back to see how far I've come, which isn't very far, but that's what I'm here to do today.

And I can tell Lucian is excited, he loves drama.

We were at his penthouse in New York, a few hours left before the start of the Ball, and I was sweeping through a rack of colourful gowns, Lucian himself wasn't present, he took the chance to meet with the CEO of the New York branch of one of his companies. Being the chairman of such a big corporation really came with its cons.

As I worked to decide on what to wear, the designer stood beside me, commenting on every dress my eye caught sight on.

"A classic black would look good on anyone; you can never go wrong with this. Modest, classy, and of course, sexy." She pointed out as I pulled it out, looking it up and down.

"Black is a safe colour, I would assume that it's the colour most guests will go with," I said. While it is a beautiful dress, it isn't enough to draw any attention.

"That would be a safe assumption to make. You said you wanted to stand out, so if I may point out, I believe this dress would be a perfect pick for you," I stepped back as she rustled through the plastic covered dresses, pulling a specific one out before placing it on the individual hanger and unzipping it out of the plastic cover.

I admired the dress, looking it up and down with a hum. It was a long, purple, satin dress with a cowl neck being held up by spaghetti straps and had a long slit on the side that would expose one of my legs right up to the thighs. It was simple, classy, and, not to mention, beautiful beyond words.

"Let's try it on," I nodded.

I got ready over the next hour, having my hair done into a low messy bun with perfect ringlets shaping my circular face, small sequins scattered into my bun, and my make up done in a classic way with winged eyeliner, purple eye shadow, and pink lips.

"Now for the finishing touches," I stayed sat down at the vanity table as she slipped my long silver earrings in, along with the ring for my cartridge piercing which I remember getting while in Uni in the span of the moment, but I'm so glad I did it.

"I can do the rest myself, thank you," I offered her a small smile as she nodded, taking a step back to start cleaning up her make-up supplies while I finished adorning myself.

Putting a silver choker on and slipping my watch on, I stood up, going over to put my heels on and sprayed a few pumps of my Henry Jacques perfume before stopping by the large mirror in the room, looking myself up and down.

And I've got to say, I looked beautiful.

"I swear, no Greek goddess could dare to rival your beauty," The designer gaped as she spoke, and I coughed out a shy laugh at her words. Getting complimented by a woman has always managed to make me feel more confident than any man ever could.

"It's all thanks to you," I played it off humbly as she laughed at me.

"Honestly, I have worked with many people, but I didn't need to work much with you. Your natural beauty is already far above average so all I had to do was decorate that, and now you look better than Aphrodite could ever dream of,"

"Now now, if Aphrodite was real and heard that, she could very well curse me, but I appreciate your compliments, I needed to hear them," I gratefully said, going over to hug her as she gladly hugged back.

After bidding the designer goodbye, I packed my phone, lipstick, and a few other necessities into my clutch, putting it on the bed before admiring my reflection. That designer really did wonders on me, I don't look anything like a woman who's been betrayed, and that was good.